1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system rack mounting rails, and more particularly to an information handling system slide rail alignment support.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Server information handling systems and other data center equipment are typically mounted in racks using telescoping slide rails. One rack often holds numerous information handling systems stacked vertically in order to maintain the systems in a safe and secure environment. Power and cooling resources are generally applied through the rack structure so that the information handling systems in the rack are enclosed in the rack structure unless maintenance or replacement of a particular chassis is required. When access is needed to a particular chassis, the chassis is slid from the rack with the telescoping slide rails. Often, the chassis is completely removed so that internal components are readily accessible or so that a replacement chassis can be inserted in its place. To provide ready access to a chassis in a rack, one common method for mounting the chassis in the rack is the “stab-in” method, which involves removing inner members from the rail assemblies, attaching the inner members to the sides of the chassis being installed into the rack, and then re-installing or “stabbing” the inner members back into the rail subassemblies that are installed in the rack. One difficulty with stab-in rail assemblies is that a user typically has to align and insert both sides of the rail assembly simultaneously or get one side inserted and prevent the inserted side from disengaging while attempting to insert the other side.
Generally, end users prefer to have server information handling systems displace a small footprint since datacenter space comes at a premium. Within a server rack, information handling systems come in a variety of heights defined by a standardized rack unit, or “U,” such as a 1 U or 2 U chassis. However, the widths of all information handling systems and their associated rack mounting hardware must fit within a fixed value governed by the same rack standard. Therefore the only way to incorporate larger components or a higher quantity of components inside an information handling system without increasing its overall footprint within the rack is to increase its width. As a result, the rail assemblies used to support the chassis in the racks have tended to become narrower over time. The trend in the use of narrower rail assemblies is likely to continue. The narrower rail assemblies tend to make it more difficult to manipulate a chassis for installation into a rack. For example, one of the main challenges with stab-in rail assembly structures is properly aligning inner rail members back into rack rail subassemblies during installation or replacement of the chassis into the rack. Smaller-sized rails are difficult to handle and susceptible to physical damage in the event of application of force along axes that are not intended to withstand excessive force, such as with twisting movements. Small misalignments during a stab-in of a rail can damage the rail or put the chassis in an unsecure or unstable state. As the information handling system industry trends towards narrower slide rail profiles, proper alignment by an end user of inner members with a rail assembly during insertion of the chassis into the rack has become a greater challenge for the end user.